Dolphins wins in 2011 are hurting their chances for success in 2012

It is a very rare occasion when I agree with Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.  VERY RARE.  However, Armando wrote this piece yesterday and I agree with just about every word of it.  Armando explains that the Dolphins are actually doing themselves damage next year, by winning games this year.  There was a time (October) when a very large portion of the Dolphins fan base was rooting for the Dolphins to lose (raises hand).  Why were so many Dolphins fans rooting against the Dolphins?  Because we were all hoping that the Dolphins would lose enough games to ‘earn’ the #1 pick in the draft…and the rights to select Andrew Luck, QB Stanford.

The Suck for Luck campaign has quieted down to a mere whimper, following the Dolphins 3 game winning streak.  The Colts, playing the part of frontrunner, have done everything right to position themselves for Luck.  They are 0-10 and have a 2 game margin of error to secure the top pick, with 6 games left to play.  They will now have another franchise QB for ANOTHER 15 years….UGH!  Meanwhile, the Dolphins will be evaluating the second tier QB group of this year’s draft.  That group could include Landry Jones, Matt Barkley, and Robert Griffen III.  After watching their performances on Saturday night, I’m not sure they are such a bad consolation prize.

The problem is that the Dolphins are actually playing too well right now.  They may be playing themselves OUT of position to draft the 2nd tier QB they like best.  If the season ended today, the Dolphins would have no higher than the #6 pick in the draft. This means that the current regime (Ireland/Sparano) are essentially costing the next Dolphins GM/Head Coach valuable real estate on the draft board.  Like Armando, I’m not advocating for someone to lose on purpose….Especially when you are talking about the livelihood of a GM and Head Coach.  Sparano needs to win now, because there likely isn’t a tomorrow.

All I’m saying is that this Dolphins season is a bit conflicting for Dolphins fans that can see the big picture.  Yes, I’m happy the Dolphins have won 3 straight, but I’m disappointed knowing that they are potentially ruining their chances to find the next franchise QB.  There are times I just don’t know what to think!  After all, how could a team that has looked so dominant recently, have lost their first 7 games of the season?  Maybe it’s too early to worry about the draft….Maybe the Dolphins can turn things around this season and make a late push for the postseason.  It’ll be an uphill battle, but at least it will be fun to watch, even though it might be confusing to die hard Dolfans.

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